On the Other Side
by FakeWeeaboo
Summary: AU. Real world meets magical other world. Lucy Heartfilia is dogged by pain and loneliness until she wanders into a new world that she could never have believed existed. On the other side of the mirror lies a realm full of fantasies and adventure.
1. Chapter 1: Reality

Loneliness was an ever-present, soul-crushing feeling for Lucy Heartfilia. She stayed locked in her room all day, listening to music or reading one of her many novels. Or perhaps writing one. But even if she did leave her room, she would still be all alone. Her family was very wealthy, owning an estate. It was huge, one could not see one side from the other. And in her enormous mansion, lived Lucy, the servants, and her parents. A small girl, Lucy just wanted to play. But no longer did her mother or father play a game of chess or tag or anything. Because her mother was sick. Very sick. And her father, well… he left Lucy alone.

All the servants tried to play with young Lucy, but she just craved the attention of her mother and father. She missed the days where her mother would sit with her and read a story or watch a television program. Her father would be sitting in the chair next to the sofa Lucy and Layla, her mother, would be, leaning over her mother's shoulder, smiling. Eyes so bright, full of love. But those eyes now only reflected pain and heartbreak. And disdain. Whenever her father, Jude, looked at her, Lucy felt a shiver travel down her spine. His eyes were dead and empty. The face of a man whom of which was defeated. Drained of love.

The day Lucy's mother died, the sky was blue, clear of clouds. It was just starting to get chilly, and the air felt crisp, and a breeze gusted throughout the lands. Lucy was outside for once, breathing in the cool air, enjoying the wind that rustled the leaves on the trees. Perfect serenity. But, interrupting her solace, a maid rushed towards her. Tear marks streaked down her paled face. Lucy blinked up at the woman. She was newer, younger, and kind. Lucy didn't know her name. That young woman, so pure-hearted, much like Lucy herself, delivered the news that ruined her life.

That night, Lucy had become a sobbing mess. The maids had tried to comfort her, saying her mother was in a better place. But she was still gone, so Lucy cried for her. So she lay in her bed, covers covering her from the real world, agony pouring out of every cell in her body, sobs racking her body and tears sliding down her cheeks. She cried until she felt as though she had no tears left to shed. Then she remained there for hours, not moving, shuddering. Disbelieving. But she knew it to be true. Her mother, the most wonderful person in the world, had died. Had passed into the next life, leaving her daughter on her own.

Jude Heartfilia hadn't smiled ever since.

While Lucy was curled up, a thud reverberated around the room. Eyes opening, Lucy lifted herself from the sheets entwined around her figure. Groggily, she rubbed her fists against her eyes. She sniffed and stood. Lucy glanced around her bedroom. Nothing looked out of place. But then her eyes settled on the mermaid statue her mother had had in her room. It started to move, cracks appearing on the metal skin, crunching noises filling Lucy's ears. Her eyes widened. She stared in fascination as the silver shell broke and inside was another mermaid. She had blue hair, creaming skin, and a gorgeous blue tail that complimented her eyes. She floated above the floor, shaking her head, flinging her hair around. Her eyes met Lucy's. The woman's mouth curled in disgust.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked. Her voice was weak and raspy from crying out. She was getting a headache, too.

"And I could ask you the very same thing, little girl." The mermaid replied, spitting out the words.

"Don't be silly, Aquarius, it's Layla's daughter. Can't you see the resemblance?" Aquarius grunted. Whirling around, Lucy saw the source of the voice. The painting of a woman playing a harp. The woman was moving. In the picture. And then, she wasn't in the picture. A flash of light and she was standing in front of Lucy. Behind her, the mermaid, Aquarius, had grown in size too.

"I'm Lyra, darling. I was a friend of your mother's. I'm so very sorry. You are Lucy, right?" Eyes round and filming over, Lucy nodded. Smiling warming, Lyra motioned towards herself and Aquarius.

"You have no idea who or what we are, do you?" Shaking her head, Lucy wiped her hand over her eyes. They weren't gone.

"We are beings from an entirely different world than yours. A realm where magic exists and mystical creatures roam. A place so enchanting you couldn't imagine it. You have to see it. And you will. But first, let's meet the rest of your new friends." Clapping her hands, Lyra shouted, "Okay guys, you can come out now." Lucy heard noises from the hallway, and the door opened moments later. The grandfather clock was in the doorway. It had a mustache. On her desk, figurines or animals fell and grew. The crab grew into a man holding… scissors? The golden bull into a bull-man holding an axe. A knock at the door, having been vacated by the clock, and in stepped a pink-haired woman in a maid's uniform. Lucy recognized her, she worked for the staff. Joining her, a girl with pink hair and horns, a handsome man with ginger hair that peaked into cat-like ears in a suit, a floating cross, an almost-centaur, a scorpion-man, two small blue things, a goat-man with sunglasses, a compass, and a snowman.

Lucy's mouth fell open, aghast.

"Hello, Lucy." The cat guy said, waving and winking.

"H-hi." Stuttered the lamb shyly. A chorus of 'hellos' and 'nice to meet you's' followed. Lucy smiled, finally.

"Hello. Nice to meet you all too. Did you all come from this magic world Miss Lyra speaks of?" They nodded, 'yeses' answering her. Now time for the hard part.

"Can I… can I…" She trailed off. Lyra urged her on to continue, "can I come with you? Back there, I mean." It was their turn to stare. Whispers started to erupt.

"Is she allowed?"

"Is it possible?"

"Can it happen?"

"Could it be...?"

All eyes drew towards the cat man. His eyebrow was peaked, looking faintly interested. He shrugged.

"Why not try?" He motioned for them all to follow him. He strode across the room, reaching Lucy's mirror. Then, unexpectedly, he stuck his hand into the glass. Shocked, Lucy watched as he pulled himself into it. Once on the other side, he looked back and faced her. He signaled for the others to follow him, so they did. They watched her.

"Now you try, Lucy." Nervous, heart racing, Lucy stretched her hand towards the mirror. It shimmered slightly. Hesitantly, she reached further and then… her fingertip touched the glass. She pressed her palm against it, despair and panic starting to set in.

"No, no, no!" She cried. She pounded the glass, tears slipping down her face. The people all looked disappointed. 'Goodbyes' echoed in her head. Lucy gasped.

"Don't leave! Please! You can't… you-you can't leave." She fell onto her knees. She was going to be alone again.

"Don't fret, Lucy. My name is Loke. Nice to meet you, by the way. I look forward to seeing you again, and I will. Just be patient. We'll come back for you when you're ready. Goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia, for now." And then he disappeared. Faded into the murky depths of the reflection, and all Lucy could see was herself.

How long would she have to wait before they came back?

The next morning, Lucy was wondering if it had all been a dream. But then she heard a maid shriek that a grandfather clock was missing. Lucy couldn't wait.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for never posting. My inspiration for this was the movie Coraline. Like the story so far? Want me to continue? Thanks for reading. See ya next time!**

 **~Your Fake Weeaboo**


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Mirror

**This is the second chapter of my new story. Thanks to those who liked/followed this, it means a lot! If you have ideas for this story, please tell me and I might use it (with credit of course).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, sadly, or any of the characters. And technically, the plot now belongs to so whatever. Enjoy!**

On the Other Side Chapter Two: Into the Mirror

Lucy found herself on the floor of her room with her covers draped onto her in a very peculiar fashion. Being sprawled out next to her bed with her cheek pressed against hard wood was not something Lucy had experienced since… well… never. When she opened her eyes, she was very surprised to find herself in such a situation. Sitting upright, now seventeen-year-old Lucy rubbed her knuckles against her eyes, attempting to wipe away the grogginess lingering in them. She glanced around the room, stretching her neck and back muscles in the process. Sunlight streamed through the humungous windows, creating orangey shadows that splayed onto the floor and walls of her room. So the sun had just come up. Wonderful.

Standing on gelatin legs, Lucy stumbled to the doorway of her bedroom and continued to clumsily walk until she reached the kitchen. It had been a while since she had made her own breakfast, and none of the maids were there, probably expecting her to rise later in the morning. Lucy decided to make the best of her circumstance and make breakfast for herself.

Cheerily, Lucy prepared her favorite breakfast food: yogurt with fruit. Or a parfait… either name works.

But after twenty minutes of attempting, and failing, to make such a meal, it was clear to Miss Lucy that she really needed to take some cooking lessons. So, instead of making breakfast, she found something in the pantry to munch on as to not cause further damage to the kitchen's cooking materials.

While "munching" on said item, which happened to be a scone, Lucy pondered over her new idea for a story. She loved reading, a quality perhaps derived from her mother, and writing came naturally to her, like a bird and its flight. She had many great ideas for stories… but they always fell short on her dreams. She couldn't connect with what she was writing; her heart and soul were missing from the words. The only time she was writing from within was when she wrote to her mother.

Her dead mother. The very one buried in her estate; dead because of illness. But Lucy, being stubborn as she was, believed her mother could read her letters from heaven and was looking down from there, smiling that beautiful smile. Proud. Like her father never was. And so, Lucy had been writing her mother letters from the earth addressed to the heavens. How beautiful it would be, or that's how Lucy had always imagined it. Towering buildings, with shadows cascading onto the litter-free pavement, over people. People with great big smiles and shining eyes, taking in the beautiful view, enjoying the warmth of love and friendship. Basically, paradise.

Lucy often found herself wondering if it was real.

After finishing her breakfast, Lucy retreated to her bedroom once more if not only to become engrossed in her stories once more. But no matter what she did, it seemed Lucy had a serious case of writer's block.

She pulled out her phone to see if she could look up some writing prompts, but everything she read just bored her more and more- it was as if her world had become meaningless and drab, with no real plot or happy ending in sight. How atrocious.

Finally, after hours, Lucy retired her search of ideas and settled on reading one of her most favorite books. She thought that maybe it would give her creative juices a kickstart. The book was, well, actually not a book. It was a magazine, called Adventure Weekly. Lucy swore she had every edition ever to be released, even the specials. It covered everyone from famous authors to pro wrestlers. All were amazing people, and everyone who was someone wanted to be in it. And Lucy dreamt of being featured. Maybe once she published her first novel. But… she had to write it first.

Browsing through the pages, Lucy grew bored of the issue. It was covering a local painter, and to be honest, she didn't think he was all that talented. She had seen many other artists featured in Adventure Weekly, and they were much better. Their art told stories, captivating the eyes of readers, the beauty of the brushstrokes enrapturing those who bought their issue. It was amazing.

She fell from her perch on the bed onto the soft carpet that felt like the down feathers of a newly hatched chick. What an odd comparison. Nonetheless, it gave Lucy an idea. Pulling out her computer from her desk, she opened it. The screen lit up, showing the password-protected lock. She typed in _Aquarius_ and the computer unlocked, making her browser, that she had left open, pop up. Closing all of her tabs from her former research, Lucy clicked on her writing icon, Microsoft Word, aka her favorite software on her computer, and began to write a story. It developed into being about a baby bird that fell from its nest. The more she wrote, though, her thoughts drifted to something else. Always did her mind wander to that one fateful night in which magical creatures from _somewhere else_ visited her. They had long since replaced the old grandfather clock, but nothing could stop Lucy from wishing to have followed those curious people (animals?) into the mirror. Into a whole new world.

After her clock struck 5:00, Lucy gave up on her rambling story. It had turned into something inspired by that night.

Her stomach rumbled. Well, to be honest, eating a scone for breakfast and nothing for lunch most likely was not her best decision. She retreated downstairs, peeking into the dining room to see if dinner was waiting. She was not disappointed.

After she finished her meal, Lucy headed out to the courtyard. Oh, how it was beautiful. The plants lush and green, water in the fountain lapping at the sides. It glittered in the fading sunlight, reflecting the oranges and reds of the evening sky. As she stared at the water, she caught sight of something in the water. No, not _in_ the water, it was an image. A reflection! And it was right behind her…

Whirling around, Lucy snapped her arm out, catching the lurking figure in the stomach. Her eyes fell upon a man. No, a boy, about her age, with… pink hair? And were those horns? Shocked, Lucy stumbled backwards, tripping and nearly falling into the fountain. But the boy's arm had snaked around her, catching her and stopping her fall.

"Who-who are you?" Lucy spluttered, caught off guard by the strange boy and by the fact his arm was still wrapped around her. Relinquishing his grip on her, the boy waved slightly.

"I'm Natsu. And this," he gestured up above him, "is Happy." If Lucy had been surprised before, it was nothing compared to how she felt when she saw a blue, _flying_ cat hovering above the horned boy's head. She sat down on the rim of the fountain. Then she stood up again, glaring fiercely at Natsu.

"What are you doing at my house?!" She screeched. Natsu covered his ears, and the cat, Happy, flew behind his master.

"Do you have to be so loud?" Lucy's eye twitched. She was getting _really_ annoyed now.

"What. Are. You. Doing. At. My. House!" She spat, and it was as is venom was really spewing out of her mouth because Natsu flinched.

"We were sent to get you." And with that, Lucy gasped and ran off. Natsu groaned.

"What did she run off for, Happy? This just makes my job even harder. I can't believe that Gramps sent _me_ of all people to get her." He blew out.

"Maybe she thought you meant that you were supposed to kill her or something. You did say that you were here to 'get her.' That sounds a bit creepy, doesn't it?" His blue cat, Happy, responded. Natsu shrugged.

"I guess," slumping his shoulders, he continued, "we should find her and explain that we're only here to take her home. Stupid." He continued grumbling as he pursued the frightened blonde.

Lucy, however, had run to her room. She couldn't find anybody in the mansion, so she fled to the safest place she could think of. She snatched up her phone and dialed the police.

"Yes, hello. I'm calling because someone has broken into my house. He has pink hair and horns and there's a freaky flying cat and- no! No, I'm not joking I'm serious-." The secretary hung up. Lucy gaped at her mobile, vowing that she would seek revenge. Or not. She really didn't have that sort of power.

She heard a rap on the window. Freezing, Lucy thought up all of the ways to escape. But, unfortunately, her mind was currently blank. She heard the window unlatch and slide open. She spun around to see the boy and his cat climb through. She screamed.

"Hey, wait! We're not gonna hurt you! We were sent here to bring you to our world." Lucy glanced at her dusty mirror. Then she looked back at him.

"Into the mirror?" He smiled.

"Now you're getting it, blondie." She scowled.

"Don't call me that." She demanded.

"Then tell me your name. I told you mine, so it's only fair." She waited a moment to answer.

"Lucy."

"Nice to meet you Luigi," she was about to protest, but, "we should get going. Seriously. If we hold off too much longer, the portal will close and I'll be trapped here. So make up your mind, are you coming or not?" He held his hand out. She looked at it.

"I don't have any money and I didn't pack or…" Natsu shook his head.

"We'll get you all that."

"Who's 'we'?" Lucy asked. Again, he shook his head.

"Do you want to find out?" Yet again, her eyes flicked to his outstretched hand, and in that brief second, she considered her options. Go, and possibly never return. Leave behind everything, and maybe die. On the other hand, if she stayed she would be subjected to loneliness once more. Also, her father was planning to marry her off soon. Freedom or family? Living life enslaved by her own doubts and by her father, or living life without even knowing where she was going? The choice was clear to Lucy.

She grabbed his hand and nodded. He grinned, and it was infectious because her own lips spread into a smile. Natsu climbed into her mirror and Lucy stared at it for one more moment, held back by uncertainties before she stuck her hand into the glass. Flashbacks of sobbing on the floor came back to her. Pounding and cursing. All because she couldn't go to this new world. And now she could. For that mere second Lucy considered now following, but then a new courage sparked in her very soul. Heart set, she reached further into the glassy depths.

And she pushed herself into the mirror. Into the other side of it. Into an entirely different place. At last.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I know, this was probably boring, I'm just trying to set up for the real story. Thanks for my readers. Love you all! I hope you all at least kind of enjoyed this chapter. Have a great night/day or both.**


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